Filipino food has always had a special place in my heart and I cherish every time I can get my hands on a homemade meal made by my mother. Whether it is chicken adobo, lumpia, sinigang, or pancit. Every time we have a family gathering I can confidently say my mom always comes through with the best dishes at the get together. By far my favorite dish of hers, which is more of a snack, is lumpia. Lumpia is deep fried spring rolls typically filled with ground pork, thinly cut carrots, onions, and cabbage.. But, quite possibly the best part about lumpia is the dipping sauce. Everyone uses the same sweet chili sauce from Mae Ploy. It's a super sweet combination of honey, vinegar, chili, and sugar. It’s something you really need to try to be able to understand. It’s amazing how much food can bring everyone together. It wasn’t before long after trying it for the first time where my mom decided she should teach me how to create it myself. When I was younger she understandably didn’t trust me much with the fryer, so my main job was usually peeling the spring roll papers apart and assembling the lumpia. As I’ve gotten older I’ve adopted my mom’s recipe and it became a household name in my apartment. There isn’t a single month that goes by without me preparing and freezing lumpia for my next craving. Lumpia is one of my favorite dishes and I would never have adopted it if it wasn’t for my mother’s cultural background.

– Eamon Andrew Helding

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